They walk for saving lakes in Twin Cities

9 Oct, 2012 19:12 IST|Sakshi
They walk for saving lakes in Twin Cities

Eminent personalities, including sportspersons, today joined thousands of citizens of the Twin Cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad to send a strong message to the public at large to save the dying lakes.

Eminent Test cricketer V.V.S. Laxman and World Badminton Championship women’s doubles bronze medallist Ashwini Ponnappa on Tuesday afternoon undertook a walk beside Bon Cheruvu, Hasmathpet Lake in Secunderabad to express solidarity with Save Our Urban Lakes (SOUL). The initiative sought to protect the water body from further encroachment and inflow of sewage from the surrounding localities.

Local residents in large numbers carrying placards joined the walk from one side of the lake to the other. It congregated on the lake shore, where slogans were raised condemning the apathy of government bodies and wanton destruction by builders. “Don’t bite the hand that feeds—Save Bon Cheruvu,” seemed the most apt slogan, considering the water body had at one time provided livelihood to a large number of fisher folk. Extending support to the cause led by SOUL and resident welfare associations (RWA) were two distinguished scientists, Dr. R.K. Pachauri and Dr. P.M. Bhargava, whose messages were read out by the participants.

“To ensure adequate water supply in future the above unscientific and unsocial (even illegal) practices must be stopped and lakes like the Hasmathpet lake, must be adequately protected. Genuine public interest must take precedence over illegal and unethical gratification of the greed of a few. If Government cannot do even this, one may justifiably ask, what it is for,” asked Dr. Bhargava.

Dr. Pachauri’s message observed, “It is sad that wetlands in and around our cities are diminishing from their normal size & spread, and depletion as well as pollution of water are adding to this. It would be sad for this society to urbanise in a manner which is destroying the environment and our natural resources.

Padma Shri Laxman said, “In the course of my nearly two decades long cricket career I have noticed two distressing disappearances arising from excessive construction activity. One, lakes, which are getting filled up and another of open spaces, playing fields, he said.

 “While the first threatens our very existence in a country so dependent on rainfall, the latter deprives children of good health derived from playing outdoor sports. It is perhaps due to this acute shortage of playing areas that children are getting addicted to play stations, computers and internet, making them mouse potatoes, if not couch potatoes,” the wristy wizard added.
- PTI

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